Our Team

SVJC Trust is made up entirely of volunteers, healthcare professionals who give their time, skills and experience to support the work of B.K.L. Walawalkar Hospital and Medical College.

Based predominantly in the North East of England, our team is genuinely multidisciplinary. Over the years it has included anaesthetists, orthopaedic and general surgeons, radiologists, paediatricians, microbiologists and dentists; theatre and general nurses, dental nurses, radiographers and Operating Department Practitioners, alongside professionals from other areas of healthcare.

There isn’t a fixed SVJC team, because every visit begins with a simple question: what does the hospital need from us?

The Medical Director and team at B.K.L. Walawalkar Hospital identify the areas where our skills would be most useful. We then bring together a team with the appropriate experience, usually several months before travelling.

Working Together

Education is at the heart of much of what we do.

During our visits, members of the team teach medical students, student nurses, student physiotherapists, resident doctors and other healthcare professionals. We also undertake clinical work, but always alongside our Indian colleagues as part of their existing teams.

Our relationship with the hospital has grown enormously over the years. What began as a visiting team has become a close and lasting partnership, with some SVJC members maintaining regular contact with colleagues at the hospital throughout the year.

That relationship now extends beyond our annual visits. Resident doctors have spent periods of several months working at the hospital, and through our relationship with Fair Trade Electives, medical students can undertake their electives there too.

It isn’t simply about what we can teach. Working alongside colleagues in a different healthcare system gives us an enormous amount to learn as well.

One Team

There is no hierarchy within the SVJC team.

Different professions bring different knowledge and experience, but everyone travels for the same reason and everyone has something to contribute. Consultants work alongside nurses, ODPs, radiographers, dentists and other healthcare professionals as one team.

That supportive atmosphere is a huge part of SVJC. Many volunteers return year after year, renewing friendships in India and becoming part of a relationship that continues to grow with every visit.

Thinking About Joining Us?

A week with SVJC can be challenging. It can be daunting. For first-time volunteers in particular, arriving in rural India and working within an unfamiliar culture and healthcare system can be a considerable adjustment.

It is also phenomenally rewarding.

One of the things that can take the most getting used to is the extraordinary welcome. Our colleagues and students at B.K.L. Walawalkar Hospital show visiting team members an enormous amount of warmth, appreciation and respect,  sometimes rather more than we’re accustomed to receiving at home!

You may find yourself being called Sir or Madam. You may even be politely told off for trying to set up your own classroom because, as a guest, you shouldn’t possibly be doing such a task.

But very quickly, those cultural differences give way to something much more important: colleagues teaching colleagues, students asking questions, friendships developing and two teams working together.

You don’t need to have been before. You don’t need to know anybody on the team. And you certainly don’t need to be the most senior person in your profession.

Bring your knowledge, your enthusiasm, an open mind and a willingness to get involved.

We’ll provide the team around you.